Before, we had no way to prevent malaria. Now the nets protect the whole family

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It’s the second week of August in Lichinga, Niassa Province in northern Mozambique – not far from the Malawi and Tanzania borders. It is a cold and wintery month with grey skies.

After about two months of preparation, our mosquito net distribution campaign using long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINS) for universal coverage has finally reached the distribution stage. The teams who have been working to support and supervise the campaign will set out for the Ngaúma, Mandimba, Metarica, Nipepe, Marrupa and Majune districts – the six included in the first stage of distribution. Expectations are high for everyone involved. Finally, the campaign will start.

The main ceremonies of the campaign’s launch will take place in the Chimbunila district village of Lumbi, 15 km from the city of Lichinga. Here, in addition to the distribution of LLINs, a new health facility will be opened.

Alifa Rachide’s family was chosen by the community to receive the first LLINs to be distributed in this province. Alifa, 50, will bring his wife Atuege Jemuce, 43, and their seven children to the event. Their daughter attends fourth grade and another child is in year one. Alifa doesn’t know the exact age of his children, but he says the youngest is less than a year old.

The couple, originally from Lumbi, support themselves by cultivating cassava, groundnuts and beans, ensuring a supply of food for the family and generating some extra income. Alifa says this is the first time that his family will receive mosquito nets. “We never had mosquito nets, and so we had no way to prevent the mosquito bites and malaria,” he said. “At home, someone gets sick with malaria most years, but fortunately this year no one has got sick yet. I’m happy because the nets we receive will protect the family from malaria.”

Alifa and his family received four LLINs – a sufficient number to cover the whole family, since two people can usually sleep under a single net. His wife Atuege lets out a smile because the community will have a closer health facility that will reduce the distance they have to walk – involving crossing a river and the risk of crocodile attacks. She says: “Our family was chosen by God – we have received mosquito nets, and we have a health facility. Community leaders visited our house and informed us that we would receive LLINs at a ceremony held by the Government. And here we are.”

The LLIN distribution campaign was implemented by Malaria Consortium, under a project funded by the Global Fund Round 9. The project is being carried out in nine provinces of Mozambique, partnering with World Vision and the Foundation for Community Development (FDC). Malaria Consortium supported the Provincial Health Directorates of Niassa and Nampula to distribute around 1,000,000 LLINs, benefiting more than 400,000 families. In addition to distributing LLINs, the project involves training volunteers and teachers to educate and engage their communities around malaria prevention and control strategies.